Matthay Festival 2023
Clara Wells Fellows for 2023



Yi Chang

and Ningxin Zhan are our two Clara Wells Collegiate Division Fellows for 2023. A native of Taiwan, Yi is a prize winner in numerous national and international competitions, including the 2022 International Young Artist Piano Competition, where he also received the Grand Chinese Prize. He was also the first prize winner of the 2020 Charleston International Music Competition and received second place at the 2022 Memphis International Piano Competition. He has been featured in various recital series as guest artist, including the 2022 Washington International Piano Festival at The Catholic University of America. As an active performer, Chang has concertized in various venues including Steinway Hall, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and more. He has worked with, and received high praise from renowned artists, including Richard Goode, Christian Tetzlaff, Leonidas Kavakos, and many other well-established musicians. Previously, he was a pupil of Alvin Chow at the Oberlin Conservatory, and Pavlina Dokovska at the Mannes School of Music. He is currently a DMA candidate at the University of Kansas, studying with Dr. Scott McBride Smith, KU Music Cordelia Brown Murphy Professor of Piano Pedagogy. Outside of music, he enjoys playing basketball and exploring various cuisine










Back to AMA Festival Program

Ningxin Zhan

is also a Clara Wells Collegiate Division Fellow for 2023. A young pianist with a passionate mission to share music with diverse audiences around the world, she has performed on important stages in China, Italy, and the U. S. Ms. Zhan is the recipient of the 1st Prize award and Best Scriabin Performance Award at the renowned 2019 Virginia Waring International Piano Competition. Following this victory, she was invited by the Gulf Coast Symphony to play the Chopin Concerto No.2 in F minor in March 2022. She is also the Third Prize winner of the 2022 Yale Gordon Competition, the 2020 Sviatoslav Richter International Piano Competition, and one of the top three finalists of the 2021 Vladimir Krainev Moscow International Piano Competition. She started playing piano at the age of five. At the age of nine, Ningxin was accepted to attend the music school affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music as a recipient of annual and multiple other scholarships. Currently, She studies with Dr. Steven Spooner at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. Ningxin has performed in many masterclasses for world-renowned musicians such as Richard Goode, Hung-Kuan Chen, Ursula Oppens, and Jerome Lowenthal.















Back to AMA Festival Program